Collapsible shelf unit

Abstract

A collapsible shelf unit has a three-sided frame made of a single sheet of foldable material and separate shelves which are hinged to the sides and rear of the frame so that the shelf unit can be collapsed to a substantially flat state by folding the shelves up against the rear of the back and folding the sides inward.

1. A collapsible shelf unit, comprising:
 a three-sided frame, said frame having a back and opposed sides hingedly connected to said back at opposite edges of said back; 
 a base panel which is hingedly connected at opposite side edges of said base panel to an adjacent side of said frame, said base panel having wing portions which are hingedly connected to a central portion of said base panel; and 
 at least one support panel hingedly connected to said frame; 
 wherein each support panel can be folded downwardly relative to said base panel to expand and hold said sides of said frame in an erect position, and said support panel can be hinged upwardly against said back of said frame and said sides of said frame folded inwardly toward one another to collapse said central portion of said base panel toward said back of said frame so as to permit folding said shelf unit into a generally flat collapsed state. 
 
   
   
     2. A collapsible shelf unit as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said shelf further includes at least one reinforcing panel beneath at least a portion of said support panel. 
   
   
     3. A collapsible shelf unit as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said shelf includes a reinforcement dowel adjacent to a front edge of said shelf. 
   
   
     4. A collapsible shelf unit as in  claim 1 , wherein said base panel is hingedly connected to said sides of said frame by ears at side edges of said base panel which are received in slots in said sides of said frame. 
   
   
     5. A collapsible shelf unit as in  claim 1 , wherein said base panel is hingedly connected to said back of said frame by tongues which are hingedly connected to a rear edge of said base panel. 
   
   
     6. The collapsible shelf unit of  claim 5 , wherein said tongues are cut out of said support panel. 
   
   
     7. The collapsible shelf unit of  claim 5 , wherein said tongues extend through slots in said back of said frame. 
   
   
     8. The collapsible shelf unit of  claim 7 , wherein said tongues have ends which define shoulders and are reinserted into slots below said aforementioned slots in said back of said frame, said slots being of a lesser width than said shoulders so as to trap said shoulders on a front side of said back of said frame. 
   
   
     9. A collapsible shelf unit as in  claim 1 , wherein said base panel is hingedly connected to said back of said frame by tongues which extend through slots in said back of said frame. 
   
   
     10. The collapsible shelf unit of  claim 9 , wherein said tongues are hingedly connected to a rear edge of a reinforcement panel which underlies said support panel. 
   
   
     11. The collapsible shelf unit of  claim 10 , wherein said tongues extend through slots in said shelf and through said slots in said back of said frame. 
   
   
     12. The collapsible shelf unit of  claim 11 , wherein said tongues have ends which define shoulders and are reinserted into slots below said aforementioned slots in said back of said frame, said slots being of a lesser width than said shoulders so as to trap said shoulders on said front side of said back of said frame. 
   
   
     13. The collapsible shelf unit of  claim 9 , wherein said tongues are reinserted into slots below said aforementioned slots in said back of said frame, said slots including at least three slot sections, with one of said slot sections truncating a corner between two of said slot sections. 
   
   
     14. The collapsible shelf unit of  claim 1 , further comprising a shipping container, and wherein said shelf unit is collapsed and contained in said shipping container.